The Long Road Home
by JD Santiago
Summary: A year after Matt's death, TK encounters an amneisa inflicted assassin who looks lot like him. But TK knows that he is Matt, and will do anything to make him remember. But at what cost? And does Matt even want to remember?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Cheerios to me!

(Silence) …never mind…  
Anyway, this is my first Digimon fic! Hi! Hi!  
This idea actually came to me when I watched an episode of a certain show (I can't remember both…poor me…). And since I'm a ravid fan of Yama/Keru brotherly fics, I thought I should give it a try.

**STORY DETAILS:**

Notes: Yes, I did include OC(s) in this one. But nothing really major, don't worry. Hmmm…do you think I should add Mary sues in this?

Setting of story: This is two years after the ending of Digimon. Please assume that the crappy ending at the last episode of Digimon did not exist. We'll switch places for this story among Odaiba, Osaka and Tokyo.  
Overall Pairings: Takari, Kenyako, Taiora and Mimimato.

Story Genre: **ANGST **(Expect lot of it on this one)**/DRAMA **(tears, hugs and brotherly fluff ahoy) **ACTION & ADVENTURE** (Everybody decided to go trigger happy)  
Story Rating: **M (MATURE/16 YEARS OLD & ABOVE)** for gory!violence, rabid!cursing and excessive!adult content

**CHAPTER DETAILS:**

Chapter Rating: **K (SUITABLE FOR ALL READERS)**  
Parings: None  
Warnings: None as of yet…

DISCLAIMER:  
Me:DIGIMON IS NOT MINE, YOU HEAR ME? (Glares at incoming mob) SO SCRAM!  
Mob: Awww… (Runs off to find another unfortunate author to trample on)

**

* * *

THE LONG ROAD HOME: **

**CHAPTER 1 – One Year

* * *

**

"FIRE! FIRE!"

"Quick! Call the firemen! The fire's getting out of control!"

"AH! Get water! GET SOME WATER!"

"-cough,cough- Otousan! Niisan, where are you! NIISAN!"

The fire in the apartment building grew bigger, spreading at an uncontrollable rate. The smoke grew even worse, as the massive blackness blinded and choked at the same time.

"Niisan! Otousan! -cough,cough- Help—"

"TAKERU!"

Although the smoke blinded him, he felt strong arms wrap around him pull him in a protective embrace, forcing him to get down.

"Nii…san?"  
"Takeru, are you OK? Can you still hear me?"

"Yeah…I can hear you…but my eyes hurt. I can't see."

He heard his brother silently swear at that. "This will have to do. Listen, we're at the second floor right now. It'll be a long way down, we'll manage. We're getting out of here as fast as we can."

"But I can't see—"

"No, I'll take care of it. We don't have much time. You have to trust me on this, Takeru. Please…"

"Of course…I trust you."  
"Are you ready then?"

He nodded. "Ready."

Everything happened amazingly fast. He could barely remember them going through the fire exit, sprinting down the stairs and arriving at the lobby.

But the burning pain in his eyes and lungs were becoming unbearable, no matter how fast they went.

"We're almost there. Hold on a little longer—"

But it's too much, Niisan. He thought as he stumbled.

"TAKERU!"

He felt the same arms catch him again. "Gomen, niisan. I'm such a burden to you, at this rate. You'll have to go without me."

"NO! I'm getting you out of here no matter what!" He felt being pulled up again. "Takeru, please try to hang on a little longer. We have to get you out."  
He nodded painfully as he allowed his brother to lead them out again.

A few more sprints and he heard him say. "There—the door, we're here—"

Then, he heard another noise—the sound of something grating.

Another sound came—sound of falling wood.

"TAKERU, GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

He felt something strong push him—hard. He felt himself hit the wall.

"AH!" He groaned, feeling whoozy. But he tried his best to push the pain aside as he forced his sore eyes open to find his brother.

"Niisan…Niisan what happened? Where are you? Niisan?"

He heard the door open and some people enter the burning building hurriedly. They tried to drag him away from the site, but he still kept on screaming.

"Niisan! Niisan, where are you? Niisan, answer me! NIISAN! NIISAN! YAMATO!"

"_Goodbye…"_

* * *

ONE YEAR LATER… 

A part of him still didn't want to come here.

But the other, more logical and less emotional, part of him made him go anyway.

His sapphire eyes scanned his surroundings once more before taking a long deep breath and saying. "I'm back, Odaiba. I'm back."

He pulled his trolley along with him as he scanned the crowd for his friend. It wasn't that hard, considering that he was tall enough to tiptoe and look over the crowd in the bustling airport. That's when he saw him.

"HEY! HEY! TAKERU! TAKERU OVER HERE!"

The boy, Takeru, smiled as he saw his friend's frantic wave. "ALL RIGHT, TAICHI! I'M ON MY WAY THERE, NOW GET DOWN THAT CHAIR BEFORE THE SECURITY COME AND GET YOU!"

"Not if they get you first for screaming like that." The older teen grinned as he pat his old friend on the back. "So how have you been lately? My, you've grown since I last saw you!"

"Gee, how time flies." Takeru said as he gave Taichi a bear hug. "You won't believe how much I missed you guys!"

"Hey, I'll believe it. We missed you a whole lot too." Taichi smiled, returning the hug. "It's a good thing your mother finally let you come and visit us here. It's been an awfully long year without you."

"Yeah…it's been one long year…"

Taichi helped Takeru load the suitcase into the back of the Taxi before they both got in.

"So, let me ask again, how have you been in Osaka?" Taichi began.

"Well, it was OK, but no half as fun as being here. All the guys there made me feel uncomfortable (especially since the school I was sent in was an all-boys school) and it was really boring. Maybe I should've brought Patamon along with me…"

"Come to think of it, I've always wanted to ask why you left him behind with us." Taichi said.

"It wasn't my decision—it was Mom's." Takeru replied softly. "And Patamon thought it was for the best too. You know why."

"Of course…" Taichi said solemnly. "Anyway, do you wanna drop by and pay a visit to him while you're here? I'm sure he'd like that."

"Sure." Takeru nodded as he looked outside the window.

The ride continued silently as they drove to their first stop.

…Odaiba Memorial Park…

* * *

"Here we are!" Taichi announced. "Wake up, Takeru. We're here." 

"Yes, yes…I heard you." Takeru muttered as he got out of the cab and brought out a bouquet of flowers with him.

He let Taichi lead the way as they maneuvered through some gravestones and mausoleums until they finally came across the one they were looking for.

Takeru's eyes stung with tears that he tried to hide as he placed the bouquet of flowers down. "Good morning, niisan. It's been one year now. Sorry I wasn't able to visit any sooner. Things have happened, and…well, I can't explain everything. But I'm here now."

Taichi stuck some incense sticks on the incense pot nearby and knelt down beside Takeru. "Hey there, Yama. Takeru here decided to spend his summer vacation with us. Isn't that great? That way, we can catch up and see you more often. You'd want that, ne?"

Silence hung the air for a few moments as both boys recalled the sorrowful tragedy that scarred their hearts forever.

On the gravestone before them, the inscription was carved:

_**Yamato Ishida**_

_**Died at age 15**_

_**A loving friend, brother and son**_

_**You shall never be Forgotten**_

"_Goodbye, Yama. I'll never forget you…"_

* * *

"TAKERU, YOU'RE HERE!" 

"Hi—Hika-chan—I need to—breathe!" Takeru smiled as he hugged his old friend back.

Hikari Yagami finally let him go, smiling happily at him. "Oh Takeru, you've grown so much. I can't believe it's only been a year! Look at you! You look so—"

"Cute?" Taichi offered.

That earned him a slap in the arm from his sister. "SHUT UP! What I meant is that—you look so different!"

"But I'm still the same old Takeru you once knew all those years ago, Hikari. So don't worry." Takeru smiled, turning red at the thought of being called "cute" by his best friend.

"TAKERU!"

Another choking hug came to the blonde's way in the form of his Digimon best friend. "PATAMON!"

"Oh Takeru, I missed you sooo much! It wasn't the same here without you!" Patamon looked up at his partner with teary eyes. "Takeru, do you know that you look strange with your hair long like that?"

"You mean this?" Takeru smiled as he waved his shoulder length blonde hair to the side. "Well, I just thought I needed a new look, that's all."

"Don't mind Patamon, Takeru." Hikari's Digimon partner, Gatamon, piped up. "I think it looks great on you. And you still wonder why girls go ga-ga over you?"

Takeru blushed again.

"Anyway, you must be tired." Hikari said. "Why don't I show you to your room? You need rest after a long trip like that."

"That'd be great." Takeru said. "Thanks a lot for this, you guys. I wouldn't know where I'd be without you."

"Don't mention it." Taichi said, ruffling the boy's hair. "Come on, let's get you settled in. You'd better look up and ready for your welcome party later."

"Welcome party?"

"Of course, with all the Digidestines!" Taichi grinned. "Just a simple way to let you know how much we all missed you. Everyone's looking forward to it…especially my little sister over there."

"Said something, Taichi?"

"This is boys' talk, sis!" Taichi said. "Why would we drag you into it?"  
Hikari looked at her brother suspiciously before opening the door of Takeru's guest room.

* * *

Takeru lay down his bed, looking up at the ceiling while stroking Patamon's head. "Pata, can you believe it? It's been one year since…since Otousan and Niisan were gone…" 

"And it has been one year since you started blaming yourself for Yamato's death." Patamon sighed, looking at Takeru. "You know Yamato's not going to like you doing this to yourself. He didn't save you so that you could spend the rest of your life blaming yourself for his death."

"But if I haven't been such a wimp, I would've been able to make it out of the apartment by myself. That way, Yama wouldn't have come in and rescue me. That way…he wouldn't have pushed me out of that burning ceiling's way and got killed."

"Takeru, that's not true—"

"But it is, Patamon. And that's why I still can't forgive myself." Takeru sobbed as he turned away. "If it wasn't for me, Yamato would still be here—being happy, having fun, singing for those who loved his songs…"

Then he let out a sob. "Why Niisan, Patamon? Why can't it be me? He was always the better one. He was the one who should have lived, not me! I know it's been one year but…"

Patamon sighed as he glanced at the sobbing boy's back with sorrowful, sympathetic eyes. _I wish I can help you, Takeru. But I don't know how it feels like to lose an older brother. I'm really sorry…_

* * *

"Hey, is that really you, Takeru?" Sora said happily as she hugged her friend. "You look so grown up now!"  
"Thanks, Sora. I'm glad you guys could make it." Takeru said as he hugged her back. 

"Of course we'll make it. It's not that we'll miss your welcoming party, after you've been gone for so long. Then again…I can't complain about that." Mimi winked as she took a sip of her coke.

"Jou! Koushiro! You guys are here too?" Takeru smiled even wider as he greeted his older friends. "This is great! I didn't think you guys could make it."

"Come on, Takeru. We wouldn't miss this for anything!" Jou smiled, ruffling the boy's hair.

"Yeah. Besides, it's been a really long time since we finally get to see you. Letters and phone calls don't come any close to this!" Koushiro added.

"Hey, you guys. Don't just stand there!" A shout from Daisuke came from the living room. "Come and join us here, or you won't be having any pizza!"

"Coming, Dai!" Takeru said as he and the older digidestineds.

There, he spotted Taichi, Hikari, Ken, Miyako, Iori, Daisuke and all their Digimon friends sitting by the living room couches, waving happily at them.

"Hey, is it time for the movie already?"

"No, we're still waiting for you guys." Taichi grinned. "Come on in so we can go and pick out the movie already!"

"Yay! Movie! Movie!" Koromon and Tsumomon cheered.

"Yes, yes, can't keep the host waiting now, can we?" Sora giggled as she sat down between Taichi and Hikari.

"So what do we have?" Jou asked.

"Hmmm…let's see…" Iori said while sorting through the DVDs. "Uh, we have Constantine, Cheaper by the Dozen II and

The Day After Tomorrow. So what do you guys say?"

"What do you think is good there, Iori?" Takeru asked as he sat down beside the younger boy.

"Well, I personally like Constantine. What do you guys say?"

"It's cool. I haven't seen it yet, and they say it's rather nice."

"I think it's OK too. Keanu Reeves is cute there too!"

"I'm in for it!"  
"OK by us too!"

"Why not? Besides, it's unanimous anyway."

"MOVIE! MOVIE! MOVIE!" Was the loud cheer from the Digimons.

"OK, Iori, it's Constantine for the gang then." Takeru said.

Iori smiled warmly at him as he inserted the DVD and played it.

As the gang continued to watch on, Takeru smiled.

Nothing made him more at home than these movie nights with his friends—even if there was one who wasn't watching with them.

* * *

/Dream / 

"Damn Kitsusaki! I'll let him know it's not so easy to cross the great Suzuhara. Anka, send the boys in!"

A man in leather beside him nodded as he went through the door.

A few minutes later, a group of five came in with Anka. "Sir, you asked for us?"

"Do you know of this man?" Suzuhara, the man in black and purple suit, said as he handed one of the men a folder.

"Yeah. Mr. Urashi Kitsusaki— he's one of the Presidents from your rivaling company, isn't he?"

"Good, good you know of him. Anyway, he's been, let's just say…a little bit disrespectful to me recently. He did something unforgivable in my eyes. And so, I leave his punishment to you."

"You mean, we get to do the usual, sir?" Another member of the five men piped up.

"Of course. Now I want this to be a clean job OK? No blunders. I didn't train you boys for such things. I want this done by tomorrow morning, understood?"

"Yes, sir."  
"Good. Now you may leave. Cobalt, I'm putting you in charge of his mission, as usual. Do bring back some good news, you hear me?"

"As always, sir."

/End of Dream/

* * *

Takeru opened his eyes and sat up the bed. "WOAH!" 

Patamon jumped from his perch. "Hey, Takeru, you OK?"

"Yeah…I'm fine…it's just that…" Takeru breathed. "I had a really odd dream."

"Really? About what?"  
"It's really freaky. It's all about this guy—a business man, though I don't remember the name—and he's angry at someone. He then called for these five guys and told them that this person he's angry at is their new 'job'."

"Cool! Looks like they're assassins!"

"I noticed." Takeru said. "Anyway, he wants the job done by tomorrow morning. And he also had this guy, Cobalt, in charge of the whole deal. Then that was it."

"Hmmm…that sounds odd. Why'd you get a dream like that?"  
"I—I don't know. I just did." Takeru shrugged, trying not to show his friend that he was shaking.

"Anyway, maybe it's just because of the movie we saw today. Maybe you need more rest."

"I suppose so."

"Are you sure you're OK?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Sorry to bother you, Pata."

"No worries, Takeru. Now go back to sleep."

"Yes…good night, Patamon." Takeru smiled as his Digimon began snoring again.

With that done, Takeru lay down again and wrapped the sheets tighter around his shivering self.

_I don't get it though. Patamon's right. Why did I get a dream like that? It's not that it has anything to do with me. But still…_

_That Cobalt guy's voice…and his eyes…where have I seen and heard them before…?_

* * *

To Be Continued… 

There, that's done. Hope you like it. Now please leave a pretty review! Pleeease…?

Thanks for reading!

Happy to Serve, JD

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

HELLO! Any guesses to who's back?

(More silence) Awww…what IS it with you people?!

Anyway, I'm sooo glad some people actually read my story. Guess I might continue after all. I'm not making any promises yet though. College is nasty (but beneficial, dun ask) stuff. It keeps me away from the world, more often than not. Sooo..yeah.

From this chapter till the end, BTW, am gonna use a mix of the Jap names and the dub names. If you don't know them yet, you can always look at this list:

Yagami Taichi : Tai Kamiya  
Ishida Yamato : Matt Ishida  
Sora Takenouchi  
Izumi Koushiro: Izzy Izumi  
Kido Jyou : Joe Kido  
Mimi Tachikawa  
Takaishi Takeru: TK Takaishi  
Yagami Hikari: Kari Kamiya

Motomiya Daisuke: Davis Motomiya  
Inoue Miyako: Yolei Inoue  
Hida Iori: Cody Hida  
Ken Ichijouji

**CHAPTER DETAILS:  
**Chapter Rating: **GP **because there's still nothing...good yet  
Setting: A little Odaiba, a little Tokyo, and some more Odaiba…

Parings: Erm, more Implied Takari?...ooh, wait, and Kenyako! Ya, Kenyako! Oooh boy:D

Warnings: Nothing too graphic. Hinted violence, sniper shooting, a little blood and some "crappy" talk

_By The Way…_

**ABSOLUTELY NO FLAMES AND/OR NONESENSE REVIEWS! PLEASE! **

**

* * *

THE LONG ROAD HOME**

**CHAPTER 2 — Familiar Strangers**

"TAKERU TAKAISHI, FOR THE TWELFTH TIME, GET OUT OF BED ALREADY!"

"Umph—get off, Pata. Need more sleep—" Takeru muttered, turning over to avoid his digimon's persistent paws. The dreams he kept on having were robbing him of any sleep he could get that night.  
Therefore, as much as he wanted to, he couldn't keep himself awake any more than three seconds.  
"Argh, you're so unbearable at times!" Patamon exasperated. "TK, it's already eight in the morning! You have gotta get up! It's breakfast time already!"

"Whatever, Patamon." Takeru sighed tiredly, still hugging his pillow. "I'm so dead tired, and nothing's gonna make me get off this bed—"

"TK?"  
_KARI?! _Takeru immediately jumped off the bed, throwing off both Patamon and his cherished pillow. "Yeah, Kari, what is it?"  
"Taichi had asked me if I could check on you, see if you're awake. Can I come in?"  
"Er—sure—NO WAIT!" Takeru gasped when he realized he was only wearing boxers. "Hikari—"

"Too late." Patamon muttered when Hikari entered the room. "This oughta be good."

The minute Hikari caught sight of the not so decently dressed Takeru, her face went vividly red and turned away. "OH MY GOD, TK, I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO—"

"N—no Kari, it's not you, it's—PATAMON STOP YOUR LAUGHING AND HAND ME MY SHIRT!"  
"But your face looks so priceless right now—"  
"PATAMON IF YOU DON'T GET MY SHIRT NOW, I'M TOSSING YOU IN THE SUITCASE AND MAKE SURE IT'S LOCKED NICE AND TIGHT TILL NEXT MONTH!"

"YOU WOULDN'T!" Came the horrified gasps from Hikari and Patamon.  
"I—DAMN IT, PATAMON, JUST GET MY SHIRT ALREADY!"  
"Erm…I'm going out now…" Hikari blushed even harder as she hurried out of the room.

As soon as Hikari left, Patamon turned to Takeru slyly, passing Takeru the shirt on his paws. "Oooh…you enjoyed that, I can tell."  
"Oh really?" Takeru smiled deviously. "Well let's see how much you're gonna enjoy THIS!"  
Withotu warning, Takeru jumped and trapped Patamon down the bed with his shirt, tickling him all the while.

"NO! NO! MERCY, MERCY, TK! I SURRENDER! TAKERU!"  
Takeru laughed dryly in triumph, but his mind was still on those recurring dreams from the night before.

_Is there such a thing as Familiar Strangers?_

---

"I see you two had a splendid morning." Taichi had to smirk at his sister's and Takeru's red faces. Patamon, Koromon and Gatomon were at the living room, having their own breakfast session.  
Takeru blushed even more. "Erm, well…it was an accident, Tai, I really didn't—"

"Ah yes, of course, that's where it all starts anyway." Taichi said leisurely, watching with part pleasure as the blush began to spread on Takeru's neck.  
"Tai, can you shut up already and let us have some breakfast?!" Hikari said, trying to keep her voice strong, but her face still remained rosy.

"OK, OK, here's some toast and sausage to keep you quiet." Taichi said humorously as he passed the plate to his sister.  
"Sooo…" TK decided to change the topic. "Where are we going today after breakfast?"

"Hmm…haven't given it much thought yet. Perhaps…" Taichi thought as he munched his buttered toast. "We can hang out at the mall or something. I'll give Sora a ring right after this so that we can have some company."  
"Really? Oh my god, Tai, you can't be serious with that—giving Sora an _engagement ring_?"

"HIKARI!"  
"Ah great, is there anyone in this house who didn't sport a red face today? TK sighed as he took a bite of his sausage. "Hey guys, what's that?"  
Tai and Kari forgot their argument for a minute. "What's what?"  
"That news on TV."  
Tai turned around to see the TV flashing a special news report.

"—early this morning, around 6 am, Mr. Urashi Kitsusaki, president of the Kitsusaki Industries, was found dead from a bullet wound through the head in his home in Kazekagi Hills Village. Witnesses said that they have heard a gunshot ringing through the estate approximately 15 minutes before the body was discovered. There had been sightings of the suspects, but the police have no solid leads as of now—"

Takerus's blue eyes widened when he heard the name of the dead person. _Urashi…Kitsusaki?  
_"Mah, mah, those guys have done it again, haven't they?"  
Takeru shot a glance at Tai. "What do you mean by that? Which guys?"

"Ah yeah, you haven't been updated to what's happening down here, have you? Well, you see, a few months after you moved away, there's been a number of businessmen ending up dead around the city. Most of them are businessmen of big time companies and are really loaded. The police think that there is only one responsible suspect for the killings." Tai explained.

"How'd they know that?"  
"They all had the same manner of death and the same trademark signature bullet, according to the reports."  
"Trademark signature? On the bullet?"

Kari nodded. "Yeah. All the bullets found lodged on the dead businessmen's heads had the signature of a name…the Gunners Five."  
TK sat back and let the information sink in. "Gunners…Five?"

"Yup. The Gunner Five gang has been going through the killings for nearly a year now, and yet not a trace of them has been found." Hikari added. "The public has been betting that the Yakuza has something to do with them…or some other underground org. They're really frightening."

An uneasy silence swept the room for a few seconds before Taichi sighed. "Man, why are we getting so worked up on this Gunner Five thing? They won't have any reason to mess with us anyway. They only come after those in the highest bracket of society, not the ones in the middle."

"Tai's got a good point, Hikari-chan." TK smiled. "Let's just forget about the news and get ready for the mall!"  
Hikari nodded, smiling. "Of course."

---

"Onyx."

A sandy haired man with narrow black eyes then shifted into view. "Yes, what is it?"  
"Have you received information on our new assignment yet?"  
"Yeah. It'll be three weeks from now, in some district in Hokkaido. But the boss hasn't sent us the specifics such as the name or address yet. But it'll come. Why'd you ask?"  
"Because Cobby here is so bored to hell. Ain't that right, Cobby boy?"

"If you have nothing worthy of hearing to say, asshole, then I would suggest for you to shut your loud mouth up."  
Orange eyes glared at the speaker. "Geez, why do you have to be uptight and damn icy? It was just a joke!"

"Because Cobalt dear is such a smooth cool man…soooo unlike you, Copper."  
"And no one asked your opinion, Peridot."  
"Oh, I don't mind." A soft voice intoned. "After all, only Cobalt's opinion matters to me."  
"OK, enough noise back there. Can't you see I'm trying to get some shut eye?"

"Pardon us for interrupting you, Garnet-san."  
The long black haired man yawned before continuing. "Anyway, Cobalt, you look like you're dressed to go out today. Where are you headed?"  
"Somewhere I can relax and hang out. I'll just be gone in a few."  
"Oh! Oh! Would you mind if I went with you, Cobalt? It would be so nice if we could—"

"Yes, I would mind. I've been wanting this alone time ever since the last mission, and I'm going to have it—whether the boss likes it or not!" The speaker then breezed past his companions and to the door. "Excuse me."

"Well, can you at least let us know where you're spending this 'alone time' of yours?"  
Blue eyes leveled a cool gazed at Garnet. "Odaiba Central Mall."

---

"Ah?!"  
Takeru's eyes shot open as he looked around.  
He was in Taichi's car, with Tai and Sora in the front seat, and Hikari and him on the back.

Kari turned to him from the window. "Is anything wrong, TK?"  
"Wha—oh, no nothing's wrong." Takeru said, shaking his head. "Just dozed off that's all. I'm up and kicking now though!"  
"Well that's good!" Tai said, smiling through the rear view mirror. "Because we're already here."  
Takeru looked outside his window. The huge sign that read "Odaiba Central Mall" loomed over their vehicle.

"Welcome back the Odaiba Central Mall, TK. It's been quite a while, isn't it?" Sora smiled warmly.  
"Yeah…quite a while." TK nodded as he leaned back and shut his eyes, trying to ward off the strange dream off his mind.

The dream about a certain Cobalt going to the same mall…

* * *

Ok…so this chapter's short.

Waah! I'll try my best to make longer chapters next time. I've only got a week's worth free time!

Until next time:D


End file.
